I’ve been fairly actively avoiding Ground Zero coverage on the news today, figuring I’ll get more than enough as is. I did watch an hour-long program on the Science Channel looking at the 10 years since from various perspectives of recovery and rebuilding. It looks like they’re repeating it through the evening. Oh no – it’s 10 different 1 hour programs, just restarting. The Executive Director was Steven Spielberg. Don’t have time for all 10, but I think they’re all worth watching.

As a Canadian, it was hard to watch a neighbor get wounded the way the US was wounded that day.
You have survived it, and now you must do what you have to so freedom and well being can be preserved as best as can.
Nothing in life is ever straight forward or easily defined. Thats good, too.
My best to all Americans reading this.
To have a voice is priceless.

There was a documentary here on TV last night, and it brought back those horrific memories of 10 years ago. it also highlighted the heroism of the emergency services and the passengers on United Flight 93.

“”The only thing that needs to be said is: “Never Forget!”
No, there are two things to say. Never Forget, Never Forgive.”

Amen, Sam.
To all those offering their heartfelt condolences, The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave sincerely thanks you. We will never forget, nor ever forgive those that murdered the folks in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and Flight 93. To our Australian, Israeli, British, and Canadian friends and allies, we beg you to forgive our irresponsible failure of leadership in the last few years. Bear with us, as we strive to correct that mistake as rapidly as possible. We hope to again earn your trust and mutual respect.

Funny, a similar thing was said about a slaughter that happened 175 years ago. Oh yeah, they don’t emphasize the Alamo in school either. It’s been swept to the obscure corners of history, just like they want to do with 9/11.

As a Briton may I say how proud I am of America, its people, its optimism and its generosity of spirit. The appalling insult you suffered on 9/11 and the sacrifices you have made will not be forgotten.

AndrewR ~ Don’t be ashamed of being English because a few are heartless and stupid. Free speech is one of the greatest freedoms there is, even when it means having to put up with evil boors.

Even while the simple and naive buy into the truther, birther, grassy knoll conspiracies, it is better to learn both what those folks have been lead to believe and why, and more importantly as many at this website know, which folks would rather hide the truth,or prevent others who might disagree with them a voice.

It is only with a free exchange of ideas that the truth can be known, and the chaff finally thrown out with the trash

[Reply] The free exchange of ideas is a principle this site upholds. However, in consideration for those with a need for quiet reflection at this anniversary, this particular thread is not the time or place for “truther” debate. There are plenty of places on the internet for that. Thanks for everyone’s consideration. – TB-mod

Sincere condolences to all injured, berieved or affected by the 9/11 atrocity. All people of goodwill hold them in our prayers, our concern and our thoughts especilly at this time.

We must never forget 9/11 and our memory needs to power our actions to prevent similar atrocities in future. Part of such action is to bring to justice all who were responsible in any way for 9/11. In that context we also need to remember those who continue to suffer and to die in trying to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban.

But for the sakes of ourselves and of God (Allah or whatever else we call the divine) we do need to forgive. Lack of forgiveness leads to hatred. The atrocity of 9/11 was a result of hatred, and we owe it to those who died or suffered from it to avoid us being driven by hatred, too. Someone much wiser than me said, “Forgive your enemies” and it is at times like these that those wise words need to be embraced.

The worst part of 911 was not just the people who died, but that those deaths were then used by others to justify a war in Iraq which killed far more innocent people at the hands of the US than ever did Al Kidya.

Sorry TB, You’re right and I didn’t think about that. Just used it as an example of some of the types of free speech we have to allow from others if we expect the same for ourselves. But there is a time and place for everything.(you don’t have to post this, this is an apology to you, and the less said about “truthers” in this post the better)

I take 9/11 as a personal day to not post or hang out on the internet. Some years back I produced this tribute video, which I’m pretty sure I’ve posted here yearly.
There was a reason it is what it is, I don’t need to explain it. This video is graphic and will make you cry. Sorry.

Sadly, I was at a friend’s place last night, listening to some stupid woman going on about things she knows nothing about. People I knew personally lost their lives that day. My friend lost family that day. I can never forget. I will likely never forgive. And stupid people with stupid “truther” posts need to be cut out, they seem to not even understand the concept of the word “RAGE”.

The worst part of 911 was not just the people who died, but that those deaths were then used by others to justify a war in Iraq which killed far more innocent people at the hands of the US than ever did Al Kidya.

And there was me thinking that by far the largest number of dead in Iraq were made so by their own countrymen of a different sub set of Muslims.

The attack on the USA on 9/11 was as wrong headed as it was shocking. The resolve that America has shown in it’s focused retaliation is the single biggest monument to those killed on 9/11. Furthermore it has laid the foundation for all that has followed in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Yemen and Libya.

flicka47 says:
September 12, 2011 at 3:07 am
Sorry TB, You’re right and I didn’t think about that. Just used it as an example of some of the types of free speech we have to allow from others if we expect the same for ourselves. But there is a time and place for everything.

I had just landed at London Gatwick when the attacks began. We were not in as bad a strait as the westbound flights that were grounded in Gander and other unusual locales, but the Atlantic cable was jammed with traffic and my crew had no way to contact our families to say we were safe. For a week, it was a day-to-day drama trying to get information, wondering when we would be allowed to return to America, wondering if we knew anyone.

I studied Islam afterwards. It is not difficult to justify the slaughter from its viewpoint, a viewpoint so alien to western thought that we refuse to see it for what it is.

We do not show videos of the crashes on television. We do not show the videos of the bodies falling to their deaths, or the audio of them hitting the pavement, not that I would watch. The cry of “Never Forget!” has mellowed to “Forget What?”

My parents were both WWII veterans. They’re gone now, and I often wonder if the American spirit they knew went with them. I wonder if we shall ever get it back.

In all the horror, amidst the suffering and destruction, the one thing I shall never forget is the courage and bravery of the firefighters who went into the Twin Towers – so many paying with their lives.
And I shall not forget the sacrifice made by those brave and courageous passengers on flight 93.
I shall remember the courage of those in the Twin Towers who got people to safety, remaining until they lost their lives.

Their sacrifice stands against the most evil these terrorists did – and it outweighs forever this and all deeds by those evil-doers.

Its interesting how with 9/11, attacks on America were used as an excuse to downgrade America’s ability do defend itself in the war of ideology. We’ve been indoctrinated to think that honest talk about Islam is off limits.

“TRM says:September 12, 2011 at 9:51 am
[snip – sorry, we aren’t going to have this discussion about 911 theories, as it is blog policy. Be offended if you wish, but that’s the final word. – Anthony] ”

I’m afraid you didn’t read my comment Anthony. It was sent to the 2 other mods and I agree with your position so I am not offended. I said I didn’t expect it to be posted. I just wanted to let the 2 mods know that I thought one phrased the response great and the other poorly and my reasons why. No problem here for me adhering to your blog rules, it is your blog after all.

We too, in Australia, as few as we may be and as dispersed as we are on our continent, we too wept, on this day 10 years ago. We wept again this weekend, together, with clear direction of our peoples’ brotherhood, our strengths and our courage.

And we never forget or have forgotten;
our friends and families;
and their friends and colleagues;
the brave and fine workers and the states
who worked day and night and weeks, during this horror, always forward towards – LIBERATION and PEACE. FOR ALL.

Quite right, Anthony. Most people come here to indulge in what your country’s current President Obama and former Vice President Gore might well describe as AGW Truther conspiracy theories, not the 9/11 kind. It’s a question of time, place and occasion. But having said that, if you continue to post memorial threads every time the 9/11 anniversary comes around, you are bound to attract comments from people who don’t share your opinion on the issue. And if you insist on censoring them, then you should expect to receive complaints of censorship. It’s all part of the blogosphere’s rich pageant.